'What a tragedy, what a f****** sport' – Jan Willem van Schip disqualified again for breaking UCI forearm position rules

Jan Willem van Schip fell foul of the UCI yet again this week, this time disqualified from the Tour of Hellas in Greece for the way he rested his forearms on his handlebars during stage two of the race.

The 31-year-old Dutchman, who rides for Continental outfit Azerion-Villa Valkenburg, was informed mid-stage on Thursday that he was out. According to his team, the UCI ruled that the way he held his bars amounted to using his forearms as a “point of support” - a breach of the UCI regulation 1.3.008, which states that “the only point[s] of support are the following: the feet on pedals, the hands on the handlebars and the seat on the saddle.”

Wielerflits reported van Schip said that he does not feel welcome in cycling and he does not understand why the UCI is unwilling to enter into a dialogue with him, despite multiple requests, in an Instagram video. In closing it reported he said "what a tragedy, what a fucking sport".

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Schip's manager, Paul Tabak, told the Dutch outlet that there was no difference in the way his rider holds his handlebars compared to other riders who have not been disqualified. He went on to say: "We read in emails that they [the UCI] are keeping an eye on us. They don't tolerate anything from us, sock height and things like that. We have to deal with this."

It is van Schip's second disqualification in seven months. Last October he was pulled from stage two of the Tour of Holland over his seatpost. The UCI confirmed to Cycling Weekly at the time that the issue was that the seatpost had not been registered with the governing body, rather than a position infringement, though the team and manufacturer maintain it was registered.

In 2021, van Schip was thrown off the Baloise Belgium Tour for using the Speeco Aero Breakaway Bar, with the UCI’s innovation manager, Mick Rogers, telling Cycling Weekly the bars contravened the same rule, 1.3.008. He was disqualified again from the 2024 Heistse Pijl over a Toot Engineering aero bar setup.

Whilst those incidents were equipment violations, van Schip was also disqualified from the men’s Madison final at the 2024 Paris Olympics and fined, after Britain's Ollie Wood was sent crashing to the boards in which the Dutchman appeared to make heavy contact with Wood’s helmet.